Former Tottenham assistant coach Nick Montgomery in Singapore for talks to fill Lions coach role
Nick Montgomery is in town for talks with the FAS and was spotted at Beach Road on Aug 14.
SINGAPORE – The race to appoint a new Lions coach is heating up, with former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Nick Montgomery one of two candidates in town for discussions with Singapore football officials.
On Aug 14, Montgomery was spotted by The Straits Times near a hotel in Beach Road. When approached, the 43-year-old said that he was in Singapore to 'visit a cousin who lives here'.
When asked about his interest in the national football team head coach role, he was tightlipped, noting that 'it wouldn't be right for me to comment on that'.
According to sources, Montgomery and Spanish tactician Jesus Casas, the former manager of the Iraq national team, are here this week to meet with senior officials from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and the Unleash the Roar! national football project.
Montgomery met with them on Aug 14, while Casas will do so on Aug 15.
Both managers are part of the shortlist of candidates – reported by ST in July – to replace former Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura, who resigned on June 24 due to personal reasons.
At the FAS Media day on Aug 6, deputy president Desmond Ong revealed that it had received 67 applications for the vacancy. This was whittled down to an initial shortlist of 16, before 10 candidates were selected for interviews.
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The FAS executive committee and a technical panel will conduct a review next, after which contract negotiations will follow before an appointment is made.
According to sources, the shortlist now comprises Italian football icon Fabio Cannavaro, former Liverpool player Harry Kewell, Casas, Montgomery, and former Thailand coach Mano Polking, who all come from diverse elite-level playing and coaching backgrounds.
Though Casas and Montgomery's presence in Singapore suggests that the duo are the front runners for the top job.
Montgomery was Ange Postecoglou's assistant coach at English Premier League club Tottenham from June 2024, during which they won the Europa League for their first major trophy in 17 years. Born in Leeds, England, the Australian left the club after Postecoglou was sacked in June.
Tottenham Hotspur's Guglielmo Vicario speaks to assistant coach Nick Montgomery durng the Europa League final against Manchester United in May.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Before his English Premier League stint, he won the 2023 A-League championship with Australian club Central Coast Mariners. Later that year he was appointed manager of Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership but was sacked in May 2024. As a player, Montgomery was best known for his time with Sheffield United, with whom he made over 350 first-team appearances between 2000 and 2012.
Casas, 51, was most recently head coach of Iraq's national team after his appointment in November 2022. In his 33 matches in charge, he won 20, drew four and lost nine.
In April, the Iraqi Football Association announced Casas' dismissal with just two games remaining in Asian qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The team are still in with a chance of reaching the tournament and will play fourth round fixtures against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in October.
Casas, who will be FAS' first Spanish coach if hired, worked with several youth teams in Spain before being appointed assistant manager to Javi Gracia at English outfit Watford in early 2018. He was part of the Spanish national team's coaching staff from 2018 to 2022, working alongside La Roja head coaches Robert Moreno and Luis Enrique.
While the hunt for the head coach picks up steam, for now former BG Tampines Rovers head coach Gavin Lee will serve as interim manager of the Lions for the international friendly against Malaysia on Sept 4, and back to back AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against India in October.
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